• In a big week for precursor announcements, the DGA nominations were the biggest — and least surprising. • The PGA, meanwhile, found room for all three of the year’s hot sci-fi titles in its nominee slate. • “The Hurt Locker” triumphed at the National Society of Film Critics Awards, the first film in 12 […]

I’ve had my eye on these because I’ve always felt that, if “Avatar” could slide in here, it might be able to get over any weird bias against the way it was designed (largely in computer, etc.). But after sitting down with Robert Stromberg yesterday, and with these nominations in mind, I feel better about […]

• Steven Zeitchik plays things from the other side of the coin, says a high Best Picture profile for “Up” could cause the film in the animated feature category. [Hollywood Reporter] • Jeffrey Wells takes aim and fires heavily on “Precious.” [Hollywood Elsewhere] • The People’s Choice Award nominations are here. I KNOW you care. […]

When two guilds have already named certain people they plan to honor in 2010 — unlike the Academy, they don’t feel the need to relegate honorary award recipients to a separate ceremony in November — you know the season is upon us. The Producers Guild of America recently announced that their next annual Milestone Award […]

The Art Directors Guild didn’t really veer from the expected last night, handing their awards to “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” in the period category, “The Dark Knight” in fantasy and “Slumdog Millionaire” in contemporary. And on we go. This pretty much affirms “Button’s” grip on this category for the Oscars. The real question, […]

• Dave Karger posts his final predictions, is still on the Sean Penn express. [Entertainment Weekly] • The other David, in his non-Bagger persona, sings the praises of this year’s Oscar long shots. [New York Times] • T.L. Stanley peeks at the entertainment on offer at next week’s Spirit Awards. (Teri Hatcher spoofing “Wendy and […]

The last two weeks have been a leaf blower to the debris an awards season can accumulate. Individuals with some real say in the ultimate Oscar picture have finally gone on the record, painting a rather clear picture of the industry’s favorite films of 2008. But before diving into the realities of the various guild […]

Typically Monday is “Off the Carpet” day, but I see absolutely zero reason to touch the charts this week. The only races that are shaping up to be interesting are a couple of the performance fields, and the technical categories will be up in the air until we start hearing from the guilds (ADG kicks […]

It’s been three weeks since the last “Tech Support” column. For that, my apologies. In the meantime, we’ve had Thanksgiving, the NBR, the LAFCA, the NYFCC, the BFCA and the Golden Globes to keep us entertained. The Screen Actors Guild is the first guild to announce its nominees and will do so next week. Between […]